Make Like a Democrat

If we are lauding the Obama administration (and awarding it the Nobel Peace Prize) for “change,” then perhaps we should equally shake up our holiday traditions. In holiday seasons past, many of us have grown accustomed to shopping for gifts only for ourselves and those close to us. This year, let’s have Santa re-direct our Christmas presents to help President Obama get a jump-start on his proposed initiatives—those who are able should take a new approach to presents this year by donating time or money to a charity or cause that helps further the “change” we’ve come to believe in.

President Obama has proposed new stimulus packages for working Americans and aims to create five million new jobs. While everyone seems to be tightening their belts on spending this holiday, you won’t break the bank by similarly helping someone with their business. According to the World Bank, nearly one and a half billion people survive on less than $1.25 a day. Whether it be helping a basket-weaver in Ecuador or a sheep-herder in Kazakhstan, the organization Kiva.org allows you to play banker by investing small amounts of money in someone’s start-up business on the other side of the globe. Alternatively, you can support the economy and help a family in a developing country by buying them a farm animal through Heifer International. The animal you donate will help provide food and income for the family, which is a great way to spread and recycle the wealth.

Obama has promised accessible and affordable health care for all—including the 47 million Americans who are uninsured. Help Obama help those who don’t have health care by donating your time, skills, or money to local clinics that provide health care to those in need. Doctors Without Borders is a network of 25,000 committed individuals in over 60 countries providing medical care to people are threatened by violence, catastrophes, and epidemics. Help Doctors Without Borders continue its work by giving someone an e-card or a Tribute Contribution in his or her honor. The person will receive a letter of his or her honorary contribution to the cause, and you will get a tax break for the philanthropic present.

Another Obama initiative is to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 80 percent by the year 2050. He plans to do this by investing heavily in the development of alternative fuel resources. While many speculate that this is an unattainable goal, no one can argue that we need to take better care of our planet. Go “green” this year and give presents that give back to the environment. Help cut down on fuel consumption by forgoing plastic water bottles—it takes 1.5 billion barrels of oil per year to meet America’s demands for plastic water bottles and 20 years for them to decompose in a landfill. A stainless-steel water-bottle would be a great alternative to bottle up the beverages. Kleen Kanteen and Swigg manufacture reusable stainless steel water bottle makers, so you don’t have to worry about mountains of trash and bisephonal-A leaching into your drinking water. You can also literally “go green” by buying someone a tree to plant or using recycled wrapping paper to package your presents.

Obama is trying to reform education by attracting and retaining high-quality teachers, making preschool universally available and making college affordable to all. America currently ranks 21 out of 27 among advanced economy countries in high-school completion rates—currently 67 percent, down from 77 percent in the 1970s. We can help the children reach for the stars by helping teachers fund classroom projects. The website DonorsChoose.org allows you to give to different classroom projects or needs that teachers list online. Students and teachers will send a personal thank you. You can also donate old computers and books to schools in need, or help sponsor a child’s education, on websites like SavetheChildren.org.

While we will all be waiting to see if Obama lives up to the promise of the Nobel Peace Prize with the undertakings in motion, we should also hold ourselves accountable for “change” and make an impact—no matter how big or small—on some of the things we hope to improve. Whether it be donating time, money, or effort, giving philanthropic presents rather than materialistic ones will reap benefits for long after the holiday season has passed. While only time will tell if Obama is the “change we can believe in,” it’s also true that—as another wise leader once said—“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Meredith C. Baker ’13, a Crimson editorial writer, lives in Canaday Hall.